After a significant wait, be quiet! has released a new top-tier air cooler, and the wait was definitely worth it. Amidst stiff competition in this market segment, the Dark Rock Elite distinguishes itself by emerging as the best heavyweight air cooler tested to date. While the margin of victory may not be substantial, it consistently outperforms its competitors, including the Noctua NH-D15, DeepCool Assassin IV, and AK620 Digital, among others. Notably, it is the sole air cooler I've tested that effectively handles our AMD test system's 225 W heat load at 45 dBA; nothing else has come close thus far. On the Intel side, where various AIO coolers still dominate, the Dark Rock Elite remains relatively competitive when noise isn't part of the equation. Meanwhile, once you limit the coolers to the same 45 dBA output, the Dark Rock Elite ends up on par with most 240 and 280 mm liquid coolers, only trailing the 360 mm or larger options.

When it comes to build quality, there are no significant issues to highlight; the fit and finish are exceptional. As for the installation process, while I would have preferred screw-in standoffs for AMD systems, the mounting hardware is still about as simple as it can get. It isn't until you dig into the details and features that things become a bit more nuanced. The semi-proprietary fan rail system takes center stage; it's a great inclusion but only works with the front fan provided by be quiet!. If the fan happens to fail, one would need to rely on be quiet! for a suitable replacement. While the three-year warranty provides some comfort, it's not an ideal solution. The same sentiment applies to the non-typical connector on the front fan. Though not proprietary, it may be unfamiliar to the average user. I can't help but wonder why they opted for a non-standard connector rather than just using a PWM splitter. Thus, while I am happy to see new features, there is still room for refinement here.

There is one feature I do fully embrace, and that is the performance/quiet mode switch hidden under a black bezel on the cooler's top cover. It allows for quick and easy adjustment, satisfying those that crave a quiet computing experience or those that want the best performance their cooler can offer. When set to quiet mode, the fans are limited to 1500 RPM down from 2000 RPM in performance mode. If you're wondering how the cooler performs in quiet mode, just take a look at our noise-normalized results as the cooler hits 46 dBA at 1500 RPM (+1dBA vs the 45 dBA noise-normalized setting).

Overall, the be quiet! Dark Rock Elite is one of the best air coolers you can buy. It delivers a tremendous level of performance, stellar looks, and useful features, making it easy to recommend. Just make sure it will fit in your case, especially if your memory has heatsinks that are taller than a standard DIMM.